Homeschoolers are at less risk of addictions

This reference is used to annotate "I would never send my kids to school" (2017) by Piotr Wozniak

An important metric that shows the superiority of free learning over schooling is mental health. Addictions are a hallmark of mental health issues. Homeschoolers are at less risk of addictions. As an explanation, various authors suggest adult supervision or less interaction with substance using peers in homeschooling. However, the most important component of addictions is reward deprivation that comes with the loss of freedom. This is why unschooling should be of prime interest in research rather than a wider group of homeschoolers. Homeschooling may bring mixed outcomes depending on the level of authoritarian approach taken by parents in reference to learning. On average though, homeschooling is vastly superior to school in terms of risks of addictions.

Findings indicate that homeschooled adolescents were significantly more likely to strongly disapprove of their peers drinking (AOR = 1.23) and trying (AOR = 1.47) and routinely using (AOR = 1.59) marijuana. Homeschooled adolescents were significantly less likely to report using tobacco (AOR = 0.76), alcohol (AOR = 0.50), cannabis (AOR = 0.56) and other illicit drugs and to be diagnosed with an alcohol (AOR = 0.65) or marijuana (AOR = 0.60) use disorder. Finally, homeschooled adolescents were also less likely to report easier access to illicit drugs and to be approached by someone trying to sell drugs compared to non-homeschooled peers

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Quoted excerpts come from the following reference:

Title: Are homeschooled adolescents less likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs?

Date: 2015

Journal: Drug Alcohol Depend

Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4652803/

Backlink: Elizabeth Bartholet: ignorant attack on homeschooling